I have a lot of craft products. What, you too? I’m sure between you and me we could open our own warehouse, but for this blog series I wanted to share with you some of the craft products I never put away. (Not because I’m that messy–but because I’m using them!)
Let’s talk tools. Admittedly, I have a lot of tools out on my work table—but these tools are the ones I use every day, or at least several times a week.
1. A non-stick craft sheet. I actually have several, and the one on my work table is completely sun-faded from being used for probably 10 years now—several years when my table was in front of a window. I bought more so I can have one on my embossing table, one on my filming table and a few others for when paint or resin is drying. Nothing sticks, everything wipes off and you can heat it, stamp on it, get gooey glue all over it and basically trash it and it will wipe clean with a damp cloth or spritz of rubbing alcohol. To say that I adore my craft sheet(s) is a massive understatement. Craft sheet, I love you. From Ranger.
2. Waterbrush. I actually have a couple of these and use them for painting and blending color—but the superfine tip on most waterbrushes is also good for cleaning up detail embossed images before heat-setting, too.
3. Heat tool. This one is from Ranger and I’ve gotten so used to it for not just embossing, but also drying inky or painty papers. I’ve had it for two years now and use it almost daily; the other day it started to cough a bit and I went into a panic. Maybe it’s time to get a back-up for when this guy finally gives up.
4. Paper trimmer. My mother sent me this new trimmer for my birthday—it’s the newer version of the older Fiskars trimmer I had before. While I miss my Old Faithful (I had that one for about 8 years!) I’ve simply passed it on to my three-year-old crafter-in-training. I’ve tried other kinds of trimmers, from the guillotine-style to some fancier ones, and always found the sliding blade to be the easiest and most comfortable for me.
5. Detail scissors. I love these small, sharp little guys—perfect for trimming ribbon or snipping a small piece of paper. My regular pair is from Fiskars, but they were sent in for photography for my upcoming washi tape book, so I’m using these in the interim and really like them.
6. Poky tool. For poking holes for brads, this is the best. It’s super pointy and sharp and the blade retracts (thank you!) so you don’t inadvertently stab yourself.
7. Stipple brush. This one is from Faber-Castell, for use with their Gelatos. I use it with paint, water, ink—I spatter with it, drag it along paper to get a feathery look, even pounce color with it. It’s looking, shall we say, well-loved…because it is.
8. Mini brayer. This little rubber brayer is about 2 1/2” long and works beautifully for brayering on ink, embossing ink, Spectrum Noir refill inks, paint, Dylusions…whatever wet medium you have, this is the tool to smooth it onto your paper. Easy clean up with a baby wipe or water.
9. Fluffy little brush. This is from a Perfect Pearls set, but you can also use it for all kinds of necessary fluffing! I use it to brush away embossing powder from paper edges to create a feathery look, or to tap glitter or Perfect Pearls onto paper.
10. Camera or phone. Have you ever been fiddling around with the placement of embellishments on a card or the layout—you move one element, move it back, move another…and pretty soon you forget which way you liked it before? Me too. So I keep a camera or my phone on hand to snap quick in-progress pieces. And of course, I snap lots of photos in general for inspiration and ideas.
11. Big scissors. My always-on-hand scissors for…well, absolutely everything. These are from Fiskars and I adore them so much I panic about losing them—which is why there’s tape wrapped around the handle, since I’ve taken them to classes and workshops over the years—where there’s bound to be lots of other orange-handled scissors.
12. Palette knife. This one is Reeves; I have another from Faber-Castell. Both are in my little tool jar for everything—from applying paint or embossing paste to paper, or smoothing on gesso or gel medium. A quick swipe with a tissue and it’s clean.
Here you are—a quick glimpse into my tool case! Do any of these look familiar from your work table?
Happy Monday!
